Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia Sponsors Georgia Adopt-A-Stream Program at Long Cane Middle School

Students learn value of environmental stewardship

(West Point, GA.) Nov. 1, 2012 – Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia, Inc. (KMMG) today announced a new partnership with Long Cane Creek Middle School (LCMS) and Chattahoochee Riverkeeper (CRK) to monitor river tributary Long Cane Creek as part of the Georgia Adopt-A-Stream (GA AAS) water quality monitoring program through the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Environmental Protection Division. The objective of the program is to help students gain insight into the health of the stream and an understanding of the importance of water quality. For the next six months, students known as the Long Cane Creek Crawlers, working under the instruction of LCMS teacher Larry Ninas, will conduct monthly bacterial and chemical monitoring tests.

“Partnering with Long Cane Middle School and Chattahoochee Riverkeeper will provide local-area students with a tremendous learning experience about the importance of clean water and the role we all play in preserving the diverse natural resources here in the state of Georgia,” said Randy Jackson, KMMG’s vice president of human resources and administration. “The Kia Way teaches KMMG team members to work together as one system, one team, with everyone pulling in the same direction to make today better than yesterday. We are excited to bring the spirit of the lessons we learn at KMMG to the classroom and put them into practice for the betterment of this region.”

In addition to water monitoring, the learning will extend into the classroom through a one-week study of the Chattahoochee Watershed with 7th grade science students in January called “Water Week.” Chattahoochee Riverkeepers will work with the teachers to develop programming and then CRK and Kia volunteers will visit Long Cane Middle School for some fun, hands on learning with students. After reviewing the collected data from the creek, students will be able to make a connection of the requirements, challenges and rewards of good environmental stewardship.

“Many times, it is the volunteers in the community taking responsibility for monitoring their local backyard streams that help us with the protection of the watershed. We train them and help them with coordination, so that they can take care of the water in local backyards,” stated Jason Ulseth, CRK Technical Programs Manager and GA AAS Board Member. “As the state’s largest group of AAS volunteers, CRK is thrilled to have this group adding to our downstream monitoring,” he continued.

To complete their education, students and volunteers will also participate in a Rivers Alive Clean-Up of the stream in the spring sponsored by the Georgia Environmental Protective Division.

“I am excited about this partnership because Kia has chosen to partner with us to help train a new generation of stewards,” said Jill Sistino, CRK local outreach manager. “At a time when the Chattahoochee River has just been placed on the Most Endangered Rivers list by American Rivers, this type of education is critical to bring attention to our mission. Long Cane Creek has been listed by the GA EPD as an impaired stream that needs our attention and protection, so it will be great to get new monitoring volunteers out on this stretch of the river again.”

About Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia

Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia, Inc. (KMMG) is the first manufacturing site in North America for Kia Motors Corporation based in Seoul, Korea. KMMG is located on 2,200 acres in West Point, Georgia, and began mass production on Nov. 16, 2009. KMMG is home to the 2013 Sorento CUV and the 2013 Optima mid-size sedan, two of the brand’s top selling models. Beginning in 2012, the plant has the ability to build 360,000 vehicles annually from U.S. and globally-sourced parts.

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